Benny’s Home Built Coupe

Amelia Island Concours had some great hot rods this year, but the one that really had me looking was more on the custom side of the fence. The story is an intriguing one, but the details are sparse. I know the chopped ’35 Ford coupe was built in 1955 by a 15 year old kid from Indiana named Benny. His motor of choice was a ’56 Cadillac 331 with an overkill 4 carb Latham supercharger, which forces the air cleaners to break the hood line and omit the side panels. His dad owned a casket parts supply company, so there are a number of copper and nickel-plated bits on the car. I guess what drew me in was the stance, the bobbed fenders and shaved running boards. Benny made some weird choices like random riveted metal strips, the turn signal/ taillight treatment, and chopping but leaving the roof insert. Overall it’s not a perfect car, but it’s an honest one from the 50s that perhaps a young kid named Benny and his teenage buddies might build.